Running-gear for vehicles.



A. DE DION & G. BOUTON. RUNNING GEAR FOR VBHIGLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3; 1908.

2 SHEETS-$113M 1.

Patented May 2 A. DE DION & G. BOUTON. RUNNING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1908. v 991,051 Patented May 2, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT.2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

YALBERT DE DION AND GEORGES BOUTON, OF PUTEAUX, FRANCE.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2,1911.

' I Application filed november s, 1908. Serial no. 460,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT DE DION, and Gnoncns BOUTON, citizens of the French Republic, residing at-Puteaux, Department '5 of the Seine, in France, have invented .cerw

vtain newand .useful Improvements in Running-Gear for Vehicles; and we do hereby declare the'following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as -will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

ThlS invention relates to vehicles and has for its objectto provide a vehicle having two chassis carried by three axles, the front and rear axles being steering axles and the.

median axle a driving axle. Owing to the methodi'of connection and jointing that is employed, the chassis are capable of relative vertical movement, and the two steering axles upon each of .which one of the two chassis rest remain constantly parallel.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates; the invention, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the device for connecting 2 5 andsuspe'nding the two chassis. Fig. 2 is a semi-plan corresponding to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 p is a side',elevation, partly in section, of a second or modified form' of the running gear. Fig. 4 is an'end elevation'correspond- 1n to Fig.3. Fig. 5' is an elevation of a third device for connecting and suspending the two chassis. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

The device represented in Fig. 1 comprises two independent chassis 1 and 2. The

chassis or frames 1 rests by means of springs 3, or any other suitable resilient connection,

- upon one of the steering axles 5, and by the intermediary of springs 4 upon the driving axle 6. The second chassis 2, which is raised at that portion which overlaps the first chas-. sis, rests by means of springs? or any other suitable resilient member, upon a cross rod 11 of thechassis 1 and by means of springs 8 upon the second steering axle 9. In order to keep the'two steering axles parallel, con- ,necting rods 10 fixed to the ends of the cross rod 11 of the chassis 1 and at 12 to the side members of the chassis 2 prevent any transverse displacement of one chassis relatively to'the other and also ermit of driving one chassis by the other. ach of the frames 1, 2 extends to one end of the vehicle and is of less' length than the main vehicle frame 5 which. said frames. ,form in conjunction.

' The frame 2 rests on the cross-rod 11 at a point above and adjacent the intermediate a-xle 6, as shown. w

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a modification of the above described method of connection and suspension. The manner of suspending the 'chassls upon the'steering axles is not altered but the spring suspension 7 above the driving axle is dispensed With, the connecting means at this point consisting of a cardan or ball and socket joint. The ar rangement illustrated comprises a ball 13 solid with the chassis 1 and engaging in a corresponding cavity 14 formed in a shoe 15 the upper part of which comes into contact with the lower ,part of a :second shoe 16 fixed to the chassis 2. The ball and the upper sliding shoe 16 are connected with the longitudinal members of the chassis by means of cross rods '11 11 It. is apparent that this arrangement permits of relative longitudinal movements of the two chassis, these movements being produced when the three axles 5, 6 and 9 are not in the same horizontal plane or when the springs pre sentunequal flexures owing to an ir'regularly distributed load. The connecting rods 10 are fixed to the same points as in the pre ceding case and they serve precisely the same purpose.

' Figs. 5 and 6 represent another connecting and suspension devicein which the connecting rods 10, which inthe preceding cases keep the steering axles parallel, are dispensed with and replaced by slideways whlch serve the same purpose. Two plates 17 forming slideways are fixed to one of the chassis, the chassis 2 for example, and.

together at the intermediate portionof the vehicle, and means for maintaining said end axles constantly in parallelism.

2. In running gear for vehicles, the combination of two end steering axles, an intermediate axle, frames comprising side bars connecting the steering axles with the intermediate axle and loosely connected together at the intermediate portion of the vehicle, and means in connection with said frames for holding the, steering axles constantly 4 5 parallel.

3. In running gear for vehicles, the com- 7 bination of two axles, one at each end ofthe vehicle, an intermediate driving axle, frames comprising slde members or bars connecting lo the end axles with the intermediate axle,

said frames being loosely connected together at the nitermedlate portion of the vehlcle, and rods connectmg the frames at. the sides of the vehicle and extending alongside the 15 side bars of the frames.

4. In running gear for vehicles, the combination of two wheeled frames having springs, and a sliding connection between the frames at the inner ends, and inde pendent of the springs, which permits independent'lateral rocking movements Oftll frames 1n vertical planes and also permlts relat ve longitudinal movements of the frames.

ALBERT DE DION. GEORGES BOUTON.

\Vitnesses GEORGES BoUJU,

H. C. Coxn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, :0. c. 

